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What's a Wreck?

A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

Reader Comments (150)

Oi, yes, you can celebrate things more discreetly!

Kiddo got to decorate her own cake when she successfully did potty for two weeks straight, but she requested that reward and it was the beloved Wilton duck pan she'd much coveted for any reason she could think of since her 1st birthday party. No direct potty references necessary!

Gee. I guess I never before thought to be glad that my mother was extremely shy, modest, and totally freaked out about her daughters getting their periods. It was A BIG SECRET from the rest of the family.

Right On, Sister!! Your comment made me belly laugh. Alas, I fear we must get our own m-pause cakes. However this gave me the idea to have a Hot Flashes Party in the dead of winter here in MN. I could serve all summer party food--cold hors d'oeuvres and light girl-y cocktails; Caribbean music and everyone asked to dress for 90 degrees. Of course, lots of cake.

Menarche, it means the begining of menstruation. or your first period. really, though "happy menarche"? its like that stupid pad company "have a happy period!" sheesh! I'd sooner celebrate menopause, and what is up with all the men?I took my daughter out for chocolate shakes, and a "crying" movie. she would have killed me in my sleep if I had thrown her a party with a cake like this. Hmmm, I guess you can call these the Lizzie Borden special.

Looking back, I think my mother still owes me a number of cakes to make up for that particular occasion-- she told everybody at the dinner table that day. And it happened to be on Christmas Day, so there were lots of people to hear. Probably, some of them would have liked some cake for having to share in the news...

I feel slightly ill after seeing that cheesecake next to the other cake whose subject shall not be named.

For one thing, at least in my opinion, there ain't nothin' worth celebrating about that particular event. When it occurred for me I immediately began counting down to menopause, and I agree with Anonymous that menopause will be much more worthy of cake.

And, for another I was majorly embarressed when my mom dared to tell a friend of hers, I can't even imagine the horror of having it emblazoned on a cake and captured by film for posterity.

I'll dissent here. In many non-Western cultures menarche is seen as an important rite of passage, which makes a lot of sense socially and biologically. I think the extent of it being a taboo subject here has to do with puritanical beliefs about sex and disgust toward women's bodies. (Ever read "If men could menstruate" by Gloria Steinem? http://www.mum.org/ifmencou.htm) Assuming the girls involved were on board with it, I think it's awesome that their families or communities were celebrating them in such a positive way.

I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank, and she was happy to get her first period. I was a young teenager at the time, and to be honest, it helped take the "ickiness" out of the whole experience for me. I could appreciate that other cultures saw it as a blessing of real womanhood...not that I'd want to celebrate with a party or anything. LOL

My SIL made my niece a "poopy" cake for when she mastered potty training. I was mortified! It had brown blobs of frosting all over it. I'd have sent you a picture if I could have stopped gagging long enough to take one. Sorry.

Well, remembering all the birth cakes you've posted, I think this could have gone much worse and more graphic than it was. So we can all be thankful for that.

I intend to help my girls celebrate their beginning of womanhood, but certainly not by displaying it on a cake. That's not to say that we won't be eating cake. It just doesn't have to have everything written out on it. Some things should not be printed in frosting.

I think I would have rather had cake then my mother walking into my school and saying (rather loudly) "AWW MY BABYS ALL GROWN UP I'M SO PROUD OF YOU" in the middle of the school day, in the middle of the office, while I'm sittng with a sweatshirt tied around my waist.... yea awesome.... Can i have some cake now???

Yeah. The second cake is bad. Really bad. But... look beyond the wreck that is the cake to the horror that is the cherry topped cheesecake behind it, to the left. OK. Its a Menarche party. That doesn't mean you have to graphically illustrate the point!